As you step into The Colony Hotel in Palm Beach, you will find a carefully curated experience. And we don’t mean the picturesque pool where Slim Aarons shot photos or the quintessential Palm Beach aesthetic that pervades every corner. Behind its famously pink façade, the property has reimagined what a hotel can be with a collection of powerhouse collaborations.
Palm Beach’s The Colony Hotel is filled with curated offerings.
Lesley Unruh
The property’s partnerships reflect a fundamental shift in luxury hospitality. Sophisticated travelers are demanding more than just opulent accommodations; they crave uniquely enriching experiences. To meet these heightened expectations, hotels are forging strategic alliances with other leading luxury brands, resulting in curated offerings and personalized perks redefining the guest experience.
At The Colony Hotel, for example, Aerin Lauder, a Palm Beach resident who heads the AERIN luxury lifestyle company, designed a villa with classic Palm Beach glamour, while Gwyneth Paltrow’s Goop anchors another in modern Parisian refinement. Cabana Magazine brings bold interiors inspired by well-known designers like Yves Saint Laurent and Verde Visconti to a bungalow. Other rooms feature colorful rattan and faux bamboo furniture from lifestyle brand Society Social and linens from Matouk. Dolce & Gabbana showcases its latest collection in a pop-up boutique, and the Italian company’s wine and pastas are on the menu at the hotel’s Swifty’s restaurant. Even poolside reading gets a collaborative upgrade with Poolside Press, a pink newsstand offering glossy magazines from Hearst.
These partnerships reflect The Colony’s own values — female-led ventures (like AERIN and Goop), family businesses (Matouk) and heritage brands (Dolce & Gabbana) that share the hotel’s deep historical roots. Each collaboration is selected not just for its prestigious name, but for its ability to authentically capture something essential about Palm Beach culture.
Ritz Paris partnered with L.A.-based Fame for a sportswear collection.
Ritz Paris
“Core to our ethos is the veil of mystique surrounding Palm Beach island and allowing guests the opportunity to tap into a traditional ‘old Palm Beach society’ attitude that is equal parts nostalgic, refreshingly new and altogether natural,” said Sarah Wetenhall, owner and CEO of The Colony Hotel. “By partnering with like-minded brands in the areas of art, fashion, retail, music and wellness, we create an engaging atmosphere that reflects the vibrant culture of our Palm Beach community while delivering guests something new and exciting to look forward to every time they visit.”
The relationship between hospitality and haute couture runs deep, evolving from early collaborations to the rise of dedicated hotel brands by fashion giants like Armani, Bvlgari, Versace, Ferragamo (with its Lungarno Collection), Karl Lagerfeld and, soon, Louis Vuitton (coming in 2026).
Now, a new wave of partnerships is reimagining this storied connection for today’s luxury traveler. The legendary Ritz Paris is a trendsetter, recently launching its fourth collaboration with Los Angeles-based Frame. The collection fuses American sportswear with French elegance in pieces like a weathered “Ritz Paris” baseball cap and a silk-lined trench coat with buttons sporting the hotel’s coat of arms.
The Little Nell’s pool was given a Dior-approved makeover.
Paul Vu
“This collaboration seamlessly blends the ultimate Parisian luxury that defines the Ritz Paris brand with the contemporary, ultra-trendy appeal of the Californian fashion brand,” a hotel representative said. “It taps into the emotional connection that customers have with the Ritz Paris aura, offering a collection of exclusive, high-end fashion products that embody both timeless elegance and modern sophistication.”
The Ritz-Carlton brand has found a good fit in the fashion world with Madrid menswear label Late Checkout. Their capsule collection was a hit — 70% of inventory sold out in the first week. Hot items include the blue logo hat, navy crewneck sweatshirt and white logo tee.
“The Ritz-Carlton has always been synonymous with refined elegance and timeless sophistication,” said Jamie Kerr, VP and global brand leader of The Ritz-Carlton. “This collaboration with Late Checkout, however, offers a fresh perspective on what luxury can be. By blending aspects of our brand’s heritage with Late Checkout’s playful, streetwear-inspired style, we’re redefining luxury in a way that feels more creative and expressive. What makes this collaboration unique is its ability to push boundaries. It’s not just about high-quality materials or craftsmanship — it’s about injecting personality into luxury.”
Hotels aren’t just connecting with fashion companies to create clothing collections. The Little Nell, a Forbes Travel Guide Five-Star boutique hotel in Aspen, enlisted Dior to celebrate its 35th anniversary last summer by giving its pool a makeover and taking over its spa — a first for the French fashion house — where it created a menu of exclusive signature treatments.
Louis Vuitton’s Vivienne visits Atlantis The Royal.
Atlantis The Royal
Another French brand, Balmain, joined forces with hotels, bringing its bold style to two summer hot spots. Balmain outfitted the pool club at One&Only Aesthesis on the Athenian Riviera with its iconic monogram, adorning everything from towels to cabanas. In addition, it hosted a pop-up at The Pridwin Hotel & Cottages on New York’s Shelter Island, offering a month of fashion events, styling sessions and upscale shopping.
To celebrate its one-year anniversary, Atlantis The Royal in Dubai tapped Louis Vuitton for a special art installation. The French fashion house’s whimsical, sunflower-like-faced Vivienne mascot appeared as six individually designed, larger-than-life statues around the Five-Star hotel. At nearly 10 feet tall, visor-wearing “Lifeguard Vivienne” stood watch over the pool with a life preserver and whistle, and “Roller Vivienne” wore roller skates in the lobby snapping photos with a Louis Vuitton-logoed camera. Each Dubai-made Vivienne had a QR code that could be scanned to see her story in augmented reality. She also took form as a 33-foot inflatable at the entrance of the resort and on top of estiatorio Milos. In addition, guests received a special souvenir: the brands collaborated on a collection of trunk stickers.
Of course, hotel partnerships bring you more than just the best of the fashion world. Borrow a complimentary Mercedes-Benz when you check into Auberge du Soleil in Napa or Bernardus Lodge & Spa in Carmel Valley and joyride through vineyards. Enjoy intimate Krug champagne and gastronomy experiences when you dine at Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong’s The Krug Room or The St. Regis Mexico City’s La Table Krug.
Marriott International’s Luxury Group — which includes EDITION, The Ritz-Carlton, The Luxury Collection, St. Regis, Bulgari, W Hotels and JW Marriott — partnered with Sotheby’s for “Iconic Pieces. Extraordinary Experiences.,” once-in-a-lifetime travel experiences up for auction.
Culinary collaborations happen at Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong’s The Krug Room.
Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong
“Both brands identified a shift in consumer expectations, where guests are increasingly seeking meaningful, emotionally resonant experiences rather than simply aesthetic or transactional ones,” said George Hammer, global head of Luxury Marketing, Marriott International.
“Alexander McQueen Discovery: Presented by EDITION” was a London itinerary centered around the famed designer that included a private tour of McQueen pieces in the Victoria & Albert Museum and a photo shoot with McQueen’s longtime creative partner Ann Ray.
Another was “The Whiskey Reverie: Presented by The Ritz-Carlton,” a trip that started with a whiskey-focused meal with Fawn Weaver, the founder of Uncle Nearest whiskey, at The Bazaar by José Andrés in The Ritz-Carlton New York, NoMad. Then guests headed to Tennessee to stay at The Joseph, A Luxury Collection Hotel, Nashville and visit the nearby Nearest Green Distillery, which produces Uncle Nearest, a brand that honors the legacy of Black master distiller Nearest Green.
“The response to our partnership with Sotheby’s has been phenomenal,” Hammer said. “Both experiences allowed guests to connect with their passions on a deeper, more meaningful level. Attendees were especially appreciative of the exclusivity, creativity and immersive storytelling woven into each journey, making these offerings truly memorable.”
No matter the hotel partnership, they all have the same goal: to deepen the guest experience. “It’s luxury you can take with you,” Kerr said, “a sense of personal connection and expression that goes beyond the traditional hotel experience.”
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